A OVERNIGHT camp fire session nearly ended in tragedy when a man fell down a ten foot ditch.

Police and the fire and ambulance services rushed to the isolated woodland in the early hours of Saturday.

The man, who suffered back, knee and hip injuries was taken to Salford Royal Hospital.

A spokesman for Horwich Fire Station said: "We had to stretcher him up hills, across streams and up steps as the wood was 300 metres from the nearest road.

"On arriving at the scene, which was in a wood near Green Lane, Horwich, we were told that the man had wandered off in the pitch dark and fallen.

"It emerged that the three men, all in their 30s, regularly meet up to have a chat and a drink by an overnight camp fire.We were alerted to the incident at 3.45a.m."

Along with a fire crew from Horwich, teams from Bolton North and Farnworth also attended, as did a technical rescue unit from Leigh.

The spokesman said: "By the time we arrived, the casualty had managed to climb out of the ditch and he was assessed by medics and taken to hospital.

"The fire had been properly made and was bricked-in but I did suggest to the men that next time they should stay closer to the road."